"The Grand Old Man Of Vaudeville"

What a checkered job career I've had! Topped by a stint as a stage manager for a 1989 L.A. stage revue featuring senior citizen performers. Sort of a forerunner to the Palm Springs Follies and similar presentations. We had tap dancers, film chorines, legit singers, low comics, a whistler, a “bones”player, former strippers, in fact just about the entire spectrum of vaudeville disciplines. All that was missing were magicians. And previously having worked for a year for the dreaded prestidigitator Richard J. Potash, I'd more than had my fill of that.

Several of the participants were even fairly well-known, most notably singer Art Lund, star of the big band era and the Frank Loesser musical, The Most Happy Fella. Also somewhat recognizable---at least by sight---was comic Mousie Garner. A former member of the Spike Jones crew and of the 1920s Ted Healy's Stooges. Later, he was an interim replacement in several permutations of the The Three Stooges. Thus, he was an offical Stooge and, as such, the last surviving member of the group. Offstage, he was a quiet reflective sort and 180 degrees from the out-of-control wild man seen in this in this clip of his performance in the revue. Like two entirely different people. I believe it's called ACT-ING.

Olay!

And so, where was I seven Super Bowl Sundays ago? Why, where else but at a fish restaurant in Santa Monica interviewing jazz vedette, Ruth Olay. The results of that afternoon can be found on the net here. I had never met Ruth before that occasion, but since then she and I have become pretty good buddies. Long retired from show business (in the spirit of "been there done that"), she now focuses most of her energies on political and social activism.

Circa 1955-1975 Ruth was a regular fixture on network TV, especially Paar and Merv. And though she no longer sings professionally, if you look reallll hard, you still might catch a glimpse of Ruth some afternoon on TV news at one anti-war rally or another. And if you go here you can capture more than a fleeting image of her, on a 1959 TV special with Duke Ellington.

Before becoming a singer, Ruth was secretary to the great writer-director Preston Sturges. And she sang with Duke Ellington. Two inarguably legendary figures of the 20th Century. What a life she's led!

Rasho-Mayo

ME: According to legend, when actress Virginia Mayo was signed to Goldwyn, she was still known as Virginia Jones. Mulling over a name change for her in the commissary, Sam Goldwyn heard a waitress shout out an order she had just taken:"One Virginia Ham sandwich. Hold the Mayo." Causing a light bulb to go off over Goldwyn's head:"Eureeka! That's it! From now on, you're Virginia Mayo!"

ALAN: Bill, that makes a good "Goldwynism," but actually, according to Virginia's obits, the Mayo goes back to when she joined the Pansy the Horse act, replacing the original girl whose name was "Mayo" and the various promoters of the tour didn't want to change the programs and other printed material and made her use that name.

ME: Oh, Alan, you're no fun.

GREGG: I think you're both wrong. In A. Scott Berg's bio of Goldwyn, Berg says that upon choosing her name "she borrowed her brother-in-law's surname." But Goldwyn was known for his "Goldwynisms" and I like the story you mention better, Bill.

ME: Thanks, Gregg. Me, too. Whatever the genesis, take a look at this clip of Mayo and tell me, Is she hot or wot?

Johnny Hartman rarity

Speaking as I was---only last Saturday hereabouts---of the magnificent singer, Johnny Hartman, I was reminded of a tape that a friend of mine gave to me that was recorded at a Hartman nightclub rehearsal many years ago. Most of the songs on it are regulars in Johnny's repertoire, and the sound quality of the recording leaves more than a little to be desired. But the tape has never been heard by almost anyone else but me. The only other two auditing exceptions being Clint Eastwood (fearlessly predicted by me to win this year's Best Picture Oscar) and his music director, Lennie Neihaus. I was in negotiations with them to release part of it on Eastwood's record label. But the talks kind of just dribbled off into nada-ness as such things tend to do in this town. . .this town. . . this crazy town where the future somes to die (i.e., L.A.) tend to do. But recollections of all that lit a fire under me to share a portion of the recording with my readers, er, listeners, um, viewers. (Windows Media Player required). And so. . .